Waitt Institute For Discovery -- Expedition to Ionian Coast, Albania

(August 14, 2008) — In collaboration with RPM Nautical Foundation and the Albanian Institute of Archaeology (AIA), the Waitt Institute for Discovery will be conducting a nautical archaeology survey off the Albanian Coast from August 15-25, 2008. Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld of Trinity University will lead the 10-day expedition to document the site of a 2200 year-old shipwreck near Sarandë, Albania.

Sometime early in the third century BCE, a ship carrying a cargo of amphoras wrecked on a promontory just south of the bay of Butrint. About forty of these ancient ceramic vases remain visible above the accumulating sand and are waiting to be studied more closely. Unlike the other components of a wreck from this era, amphoras do not disintegrate once they have come to rest on the sea floor. This durability has left these vases as the sole witnesses to many ancient shipwrecks and the stories they tell have transformed our understanding of history, a major mission of the Waitt Institute for Discovery.

The Butrint shipwreck site was discovered during an underwater survey in July of 2007, conducted by the RPM Nautical Foundation. In collaboration with RPM, the Waitt Institute for Discovery will follow-up this initial finding with a closer examination of the wreck site led by Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld. The dive team will examine the seabed topography, identify the area of scatter, and create a detailed map of the objects on the sea floor. This recon will provide insight for planning a future joint excavation project for the site, including a determination of the resources necessary to excavate, record, and conserve the finds properly.

The Waitt Institute for Discovery aims to act as a catalyst in the development of a sustainable program of cultural resource management of the maritime heritage of Albania, conducted by and for the Albanians. A secondary goal is to broaden the American student perspective of the people and history of the Balkans. In these efforts, Dr. Hirschfeld will be acting as an ambassador to various Albanian officials, educators, and students, with the hope of exciting interest in this collaborative enterprise and to explore possibilities for future efforts.

Dr. Nicolle Hirschfeld is an Assistant Professor of Classical Studies at Trinity University in San Antonia, Texas. She earned her doctorate in Classical Archaeology from the University of Texas at Austin and holds a Master’s Degree in Nautical Archaeology from Texas A&M University. Her work in the eastern Mediterranean has merited, among others, grants awarded by the Fulbright Program, the Archaeological Institute of America,, the Shelby White - Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications, and the Mellon Foundation. She has spent numerous years of living in Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, and participating in excavations throughout the Aegean, the Levant and Egypt.

The public can join the Waitt Institute for Discovery, RPM Nautical Foundation and the Albanian Institute of Archaeology (AIA) on this expedition by tuning in to Dr. Hirschfeld’s notes from the field via her blog.

RPM Nautical Foundation is a non-profit organization utilizing state-of-the-art technology to advance research in the field of nautical archaeology. RPM’s projects are conducted in support of leading institutions in the field including the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and with host country institutions and cultural authorities.

About the Waitt Institute for Discovery
The Waitt Institute for Discovery is a non-profit research organization that serves as an exploration catalyst, enabling scientific pioneers to transform the ways in which discoveries are made. The Waitt Institute for Discovery implements innovative technologies in the field through collaborations with world-renowned scientific institutions, synthesizing global expertise and accelerating groundbreaking research. Founded in 2005 by Ted Waitt, the Waitt Institute for Discovery seeks to advance human understanding of the past and secure promise of a better future through exploration and discovery. The Waitt Institute for Discovery is supported by Ted Waitt and the Waitt Family Foundation. For more information about the Waitt Institute for Discovery, please visit: http://waittinstitute.org/WID.

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